mezzanine

It's not just you, trust me. I don't have a gen collection, but my rep collection was getting a little out of control before I got the same watch you're wearing now and decided that I was going to change my collection a bit to give more focus to these amazing vintage rollies. I'm excited for you, because you're at exactly the same point, having the same type of reaction that I did...the journey has just begun! Finding the gen parts to get the watch further modded can be a challenge and requires patience- it's a great distraction from your other watch OCD (or maybe that's just me). Think about it this way- I've reduced my rep collection significantly, but am happier with the individual pieces I have left. The price of my two modded MBW rollies? $1500 US. And yet, I don't regret it a bit. They're basically genuine watches with aftermarket cases, movement and braclets (but not endlinks), and have a history and appeal that is hard to match in the world of horology. I think that the ability to mod these vintages with genuine parts is one of the coolest things going in this hobby. I almost wish that the MBW's weren't becoming mainstream- but I don't think I'd rather have the gen (if you discount the $$), if only because there's so much more involvement, learning, care and selection/personality that is involved in their creation. It's an immersion into the history of these watches, and you can't help but pick up the folklore as you slowly move along learning about what parts you need and why. It's weird, but the modern rollies hold very little appeal for me, and never really have. :? If you think you like the 1680, I highly recommend you consider the 1665...I would hazaard to guess that 80% of the folks who have both probably prefer their SD. In fact...there might just be one still available in the sales forum! j/k I'll post a review/photo session of my pair once 'the replacement sub' makes it in from Europe.

What an awesome wrist shot that is!! Definitely worth the wait, and I'm glad you like it. I wouldn't have sold it unless I was planning to replace it with another one in the near future! The watch is a classic, and fijikid is an asset to the community- glad to know it went to someone who will enjoy it.

Thanks for clarifying that, yellowmen-

I'm not sure if I like the very yellow markers on my watch. Is my dial correct, considering that this is a 1665 case supposedly with a similar 'transitional' dial. Yours has the more modern metalic outlined markers shaping the tritium. Congratulations-

Looks like TTK was incorrect, based on what was said in the other thread.

I'm sure that it's a 'real' MBW, but the question is the relationship that Josh has with MBK. It sounds like Josh indicated or implied that he was going to have these watches continuously. Is that correct? If so, it raises some interesting questions, but one thing it would do is make these watches more available to the mainstream. I'm not entirely thrilled at that prospect. There are some questions that TTK raised about why that type of scenario would be unlikely- but cash is king, and imagine that Josh could find a way to incentivize MBK to do business with him.

I've got you beat, I got a watch from Silix last week that I paid for at the beginning of August. Which I was then privlidged enough to sell at a loss because of the mis-aligned pearl on the Blackbird that I asked him to QC.

Honestly, you could have shut down the competition six months ago. There hasn't been much in the way of new releases recently. The watches that are being talked about are almost all produced or released in the first few months of the year. I'm honestly not as excited about '08. I don't think it will be as good as this past year. It's hard for me to imagine something topping the ceramic HBB.

Best not to talk about the BCE, By-Tor, the loss is still fresh... That's the problem, some really nice ones like the BCE and the MBK PP Nautilus are with new homes. Certain watches aren't going anywhere, like the MBK ROO and the Big Bang. Your timing, if you decide to pick up an Evo, might actually serve you well. I think they've re-done the Evo's, at least that's what I've been led to believe. The AR on the newer ones is supposedly better and the dials are supposedly correct now. I like the Evo, but the space in my collection for sports chronos is limited to three or four watches. The HBB, Cousteau and AP ROO are stalwarts. I decided to pare down the chronos and re-direct the funds into a couple of vintage MBW's.

And the winner is.......... The Hublot Big Bang with Polished Ceramic Bezel ....MBK Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore comes in a close second...

Yup, same as SFSO and Evo.

This is my first modded vintage rollie, and I have to say that I'm very impressed. The watch is a classic, and I believe that the ability to mod these with genuine parts is one of the coolest aspects of our hobby. I love the history behind these watches, and the whole culture of vintage rolex collecting. Since receiving this watch from a member here, I've swapped the insert out for a genuine off of a '73 red sub. You wouldn't really think that an insert could make that much difference, well, I'm here to say that it might be one of the most significant mods, especially when it comes to making your watch look as old it's supposed to be. One thing I notice about the genuine inserts is that they're made of a different material than most of the aftermarket ones. For example, when reading about how to age an insert, I discovered that the genuines are much more resilient, in terms of how it reacts to bleaching agents and the like. Here is a comparison between the two inserts, the first is the old one that is a good aftermarket, and the following pic is the genuine insert fitted to the SD: What I'm asking myself right now, is whether I should swap out the rep endlinks that have been modded to accept the gen springbars with a set of 580 endlinks that I've got. The 580's are correct for the 1665 (so would be 585's), but the current rep ones are working just fine, so I'm not sure whether it would be overkill. I'm pretty sure I'd have to bend them a bit to fit the thicker case of the Seadweller, after these endlinks came from the same red sub that the insert came from. The dial is a transitional dial between the 1665 and the modern Seadwellers. The markers look tremendous- they've got dimension and texture, and are said to be gen tritium...but I wouldn't know. I really like having a different dial than the standard MBW one. I haven't been super-impressed with the rep Rolex dials. Moreso for the subs, but also with the 1665... The Ubi datewheel makes such a huge difference that it would be difficult to overstate the impact on the overall appearance of the watch. I've never been a stickler for datewheel font accuracy, but with these well-known classics, every detail takes on additional significance, as one thing out of place can spoil the whole. I felt similarly with the insert- as solid and nice as the aftermarket looked, the watch looks more it's age with the older vintage gen insert. Also, what do you think of the crown guards? I was thinking of sending the watch in to The Zigmeister at some point to get them touched up, as I have a couple of other things I need to get worked on anyways-

If you had told me when I first started out here that I would have a couple of Rolex reps, I would not have believed you. I would not even have considered it for a second...something about them seemed try-hardish, and I didn't like the idea that they're so commonly thought to be fake. But the vintage bug got me. A really well done vintage rollie has an appeal that none of the modern Rolex watches have for me. The acrylic domed crystals, the tritium markers, the gen parts- they have a unique look that is distinctive to their age when they're done right. The history of these watches is what eventually brought me on-side. As I've become more interested in watches, and their history, the incredible influence that these subs have had on WIS folklore can't be overstated.

I want to thank LordRasta and slai for taking this on, their work is what is making this happen. Now I'm curious about this book that everyone is talking about. Maybe I'll have to pick it up.

What I realize is that both vintage and modern watches have their own particular advantages in the rep world. For example, the moderns are usually more elaborate and sophisticated chronographs. They are created using modern machining technology, and as a result, there has been a development in the level of technical capability of watch makers both gen and rep. This results in watches that are stylistically impressive, and with strong sex appeal because of the 'newness' of their release. I always figured that it would be impossible for rep makers to do the vintage watches as well, as I assumed that the simplicity of the vintages makes the quality of the parts used even more significant. With the moderns, a lot of times they're able to get the 'look', but not the finish and feel of the real thing. What makes collecting vintage reps so appealing to me, personally, is that the 'age-ing' effect of creating the look of an older watch is one of the most convincing ways to make a watch look genuine. I know that's not what it's all about, but before actually handling one, I don't think I believed it was really possible to achieve the worn appearance of a 40 year old watch. Vic, thanks for the guidance on the christmas-watch-selection decision I've got looming. It's funny, because *I* like the white J12 quite a lot, but for some reason she wasn't very excited about it. She likes the diamond bezel, so she's all about the bling.

V, you seriously have to stop showing pics of that strap. I don't know what you're trying to do, exactly, but it's starting to get a little distracting, and I think it's only fair that you should stop posting pics. Maybe you get a kick out of derailing threads, I'm not sure, but I feel that the mods are neglecting their duties here... By-Tor, very interesting comment about the issue of watch size. I don't own a PO. If one came up in the FS forum that had a double-AR coated crystal, I'd consider it if it was the 42mm edition...but otherwise, probably the most popular rep of the last couple of years is not on my list. When I first received the uPO, I was in heaven. Then I sold it to a buddy who was head-over-heels about it, and missed it, so I got another one. I couldn't stand it. I didn't like the way it sat on my wrist. If you're going to make a very large watch, it better conform to the wrist in a natural way. I like large watches, but I find that there are few that are large and appear natural on the wrist. I do believe that this is relevant to the thread, because as you said, even classic models are being revised so that they are larger. The Patek Nautilus is an example, but it would almost be more useful to talk about the exceptions. In that case, I think Rolex is the quintessential brand that defies that type of movement towards size. Vic, do you have a ceramic J12? I'm thinking of getting one for the girl, and I love the way that the polished ceramic looks on my HBB. I've shown her a pic of the black and the white Chanel, and she likes the black one. Classic for women does seem to be more restricted. The pams are a great option- they combine a lot of the modern and classic elements and I don't think they're gender-specific, really. If I were to see a girl out wearing a Pam, I would be intrigued- that is one circumstance under which I find disproportionately larger watches attractive.

Do you prefer the classic, more traditional style of watches- like Rolex or Panerai- or are you more in tune with the modern watches like the SFSO, Hublot Big Bang, and Cousteau? I've found that my tastes are changing. I was much more enthusiastic about modern watches, mostly because I wanted to avoid the whole problem of the 'fake rolex' that seems to be associated with reps in the general populous. Also, most of the best reps are done of modern watches. Almost all of the "super reps" are replicas of watches that are recent releases. I like the technological aspects that come with some of those watches, like AR coating, inner-rotating bezels, dial textures, etc... But....my tastes are changing. I'm starting to really dig some of the classic vintage pieces. If you'd told me that I'd be looking at simplicity and classic styling, I wouldn't have believed it. Some people talk about how, as time goes on, they'll start to mix in some gen watches into their collection. It starts to become more about the time piece, and wanting to have a watch that is of high quality. I think that this motivation adds to the appeal of the vintage classics. I'm always going to have a spot for the moderns...but they're going to be balanced out by some classic pieces. After receiving my first modded MBK rollie, I'm convinced that the ability to create an accurate rep of the sport vintage Rolex divers is one of the cooler things available to us in this hobby-

I've been bitten by the bug, and decided to go with the 112 as my first 'real' Pam. I wasn't expecting it would get as much wrist-time as it seems to. The comfort and casual factor, with the leather strap, makes it a good 'chillin' watch. I might end up going for a second pam...and that would be the tough one to try to decide on. The first one is pretty easy, if you ask me. You go for a 111h/183/112 or a base. But assuming you've got one of those, I think it becomes much more difficult to find the second one... I'm tempted by a DSN fiddy.

I love that watch. The blue dial looks very nice. If I were looking for a gen, it might well be the CA titanium. The PVD Skyland, should it ever be released as a rep, may end up keeping me from giving into temptation and going for a gen.

Oh man, that vintage Daytona is unbelievable Freddy- Absolutely incredible...one day I will have one. Oh yes...one day. Vic, I love the 112 on the Crazy Horse, I have the same combo that I use almost exclusively together...

Awesome!! One day I'll eventually have a Daytona, but not likely until they get the seconds @6 thing figured out. Also, if I ever had the chance to have a DW vintage, I would jump at it, but not unless it was pre-owned.

Looks amazing...I love the effect good AR has on watches. I am looking forward to having my MBW AP ROO, and *maybe* even a Pam 112 AR coated at some point in the near future... Anyone with a Planet Ocean should be in touch with Jakub! AR coat everything!!

Interesting stuff... I wonder whether it would be worth it to wait and pick up a bracelet- I think this one looks much better on metal. Good deal from Josh.